Comp Plan meeting 02-11-23

A two-hour public meeting to review the first draft of the Town of Chatham updated
Comprehensive Plan occurred on Saturday, 2/11/23, at the Tri-Village Fire
Company.

Overall, the tone of the 100-person meeting was conversational and collaborative, with some laughter among participants and a consistent focus on gathering opinions.

Michael Allen, of Regrowth Planning, led a short presentation of the timeline and
accomplishments of the Comprehensive Plan Update and Review Committee
(CPURC) to update the 2009 plan. Then he opened the floor to comments from
community members, noting that the committee welcomed any feedback and
suggestions.

The crowd was well-mannered and responsive to Allen’s leadership, as he called on people to speak and recorded their comments. Comments came from longtime residents and more recent arrivals. In general, the audience conveyed an interest in the draft plan and asked questions about its implications. Both Allen and committee members restated comments to ensure that the speaker’s intention and message had been received.

The committee will be reviewing them and working to address them in the near future.

Comments, opinions, and suggestions included:

• Generally, there was agreement that the plan was well written and visually
  attractive.

• A request was made that the suggested goals be presented in the beginning
  of the draft plan and paired with page numbers where readers can find information related to those goals.

• Actual numbers and data to support recommendations (beyond survey
  results) were deemed sparse and insufficient as a basis for new policy and zoning
  laws for the town.

• Some of the goals are better seen as pre-goals. They are too vague and tentative. For example, saying that the town should “investigate” and “consider” certain directions or issues noted in the plan; they are not specific or definitive enough to drive action on
  zoning laws.

• There is not enough emphasis on varieties of clean energy. Solar gets
  attention, but other sources don’t.

• A long discussion on dirt roads vs. paved roads, how decisions are made to
  pave roads, where that authority lies. A variety of opinions on the value of
  dirt vs. paved roads, with a request that the Town Board approve any plan to pave over a dirt road. One speaker said a Road Committee had worked to come up with a policy about these and related issues in 2017, and that a report had been accepted by the Town Board in late 2017 or early 2018.

• The draft plan’s emphasis on agriculture as a central feature of the town was
  noted, as was “rural character.”

• Needs of farmers are not necessarily apparent to people who live in
  Chatham.

• Senior, affordable, and workforce housing are all important goals in housing
  options.

• Special Use Permits (SUPs) and the process to approve them have created problems for some residents, usually those who reside on adjoining properties. One person said she hopes that the town will be more forthcoming regarding: future SUP applications and that citizens can more easily obtain information on what the application is and what is happening to that application.

• The principles underlying the draft plan are not clear. What are the guiding
  principles here? For example, a focus on climate issues could guide all
  aspects of the final plan and create a more coherent vision for the town’s
  zoning decisions.

• Can zoning laws be updated prior to completion of the entire comprehensive plan? Or can zoning be completed on parts of the plan as
  they are approved by the board?

• A timeline to complete the plan would be useful, as discussion and revisions
  can go on endlessly.

• The CPURC suggested that attendees at this meeting ask three other people to attend the next meeting, and by doing so to “spread the word” that this process is going on and that resident input is desired.

  Michael Allen explained the process to reach an approval of the plan and to move
  on to writing zoning law:
  1. Refine and complete a final comprehensive plan update.
  2. Hold a public hearing on that final update.
  3. Finalize the required State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR).
  4. Town Board votes to approve or reject the proposed plan.
  5. When the final Comprehensive Plan is approved, zoning revisions will be
  the next step in the process, to make zoning law congruent with the updated
  Comprehensive Plan.
  

  CPURC members advised that the public is welcome to attend committee meetings in the
  future. Also, the Town Housing Committee meets every second Monday at 6:30 p.m.
  Virtual access to any town board or committee meeting is available by going to the
  Town of Chatham calendar, finding the meeting, and clicking on the link to join via
  Google Meet.

A Housing Forum will take place on Saturday, February 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the
Tri-Village Fire Company. Among the speakers will be representatives from
Patterns for Progress, Habitat for Humanity, the County Economic Development
Committee, and a spokesperson regarding agriculture needs in the town. The
public is invited.